10 Tips for Selecting the Best Real Estate CRM & Email Marketing System

Real Estate CRM & Email Marketing System Saves the Day — Here’s What To Look For

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a full-time assistant who could remember all your clients’ names, properties, and birthdays? Even better, what if the assistant was available 24 hours a day and never called in sick? For many real estate professionals, a customer relationship management system fills that role. A Real Estate CRM & Email Marketing system can improve a company’s efficiency, as long as the system matches the company’s needs.

10 Tips for Selecting the Right Real Estate Email Marketing and CRM Software

It’s very important that you have a list of things to look for. Here are 10 tips that are very important to look for in a real estate marketing software and crm:

Real Estate is going mobile. Is your crm a mobile crm or does it tie you to the office?

Does it work offline if it is a mobile crm?

How easy is it to implement and setup?

Does it allow you to manage tasks and workflows? Your crm should remind you of due tasks.

Email marketing and drip campaign capability? Pick a crm that will help you with marketing as well.

Is it cloud-based? This is almost non-negotiable. You must have a cloud-based crm to enable you to work from different locations and still have the latest information.

Does it integrate or capture leads from Zillow, Trulia or Realtor.com? This will save you double entry of leads from your website or other sites.

Gather pertinent data about leads with the ability to add notes on finer details

Does it come with a free trial? It’s important to test the crm before purchasing it.

Does it have good customer support? Have you read reviews?

Research the Real Estate Software Market

Whether you are implementing a CRM software for the first time or are ready to make a change because what you’re using isn’t working well enough, comparison shopping is very important. A little bit of time spent now on research will save you a lot of time & pain later. If you are trying to decide between real estate crm vendors, there are quite a few vendors out there. Many typically research Salesforce vs Top Producer but there are other options, too. It could be a bit overwhelming but doing this due diligence with a pragmatic approach will help you ensure that you invest in the right tool for your business. There is a lot to consider, including: costs, implementation, mobile capabilities, and more.

Create a List of Real Estate Software Requirements

Every real estate sale is different and the way customers are doing business is changing. Clients expect you to be more informative, more engaged and more available than ever before. Hence it’s essential to have a numbered list of requirements in a real estate software that will help you stay informed and connected with the market and your clients. Stick to your list of requirements and make sure your real estate crm can meet those requirements.

What Are the Benefits of This Real Estate CRM and Email Marketing Software?

We know why a CRM can help you solve the challenges of your business and we know how a CRM can propel leads through your funnel, but the decision can be tough when it comes down to picking a CRM to commit to your business. Knowing the benefits for a crm can be the difference between wasting a fortune and finding a solution that fits your business needs. The ideal crm, should be easy to setup, simple to use and ultimately create less work for you than more work.

Build a Short List of Real Estate Software Vendors

There are several different real estate crms for different types of real estate. Depending on the type of real estate be it commercial, residential or others, build a short list of real estate software vendors who can fit within the category of real estate sales that you are primarily working it.

Put Together a List of Outstanding Questions

Work on different questions or concerns that you might have with a crm. Is customer service or having immediate help a deciding factor for you? A list of questions will definitely help you in staying focused and ultimately narrowing that to the crm of your choice.

Evaluate Various Real Estate Software Demonstrations

Most real estate software companies offer demonstrations for free. Make sure to take advantage of these demonstrations if possible. You may even be able to schedule a video call and have a live demo given to you. This also gives you the opportunity to get immediate answers on any questions you may have. Some real estate software vendors may also offer live webinars.

Rank the Value of Each Product and Feature

Almost every real estate crm will offer you the basic feature set of being able to create and edit contacts. However each software comes with various extra features. Ranking the features that matter to you the most will help you in selecting the best crm for your business. If a crm offers the feature you want, you can compare the ease of use of that crm with other similar real estate software that offer that same capability.

Compare Pricing to Value Provided, Ask for A Free Trial Period

Look at the different crm pricing and features that they offer. If you are on a tight budget, pricing can be a deciding factor. A cloud-based system may be a priority, which would eliminate any products requiring network or desktop installation. Other features to consider are mobile access, email marketing and tracking capabilities, tech support quality, property listings, and scalability. Prioritizing features can focus the buying process.

CRM providers charge either a recurring — monthly or annual — fee or a one-time fee, and systems are priced according to the number of users. Single-user prices begin at about $40 per month or even lower for certain crms. One-time fees range from $230 to $2,000 for more advanced systems. When pricing systems, buyers should include costs for training, maintenance, and upgrades.

To avoid overbuying, potential buyers can take advantage of free trials offered by most CRM companies. “Once you know how the system will be used, research the options and do some trial runs,” Allen says. “During the free trial, play with the features and apply them to your business model. Think beyond the standard Rolodex idea.”

Taking advantage of every feature a system has to offer can help commercial real estate professionals expand their business models, but full adoption can be difficult. Most brokers use 10 percent of their CRM’s capabilities, regardless of what system they us. Real estate professionals should really evaluate what features they will actually use versus the ones that seem really cool.

Start Your First Campaign to Make Sure It’s a Good Fit

The best way to test the best marketing tool for your real estate business is by starting your first campaign. Get started by creating a list of content and some test recipients you want to receive your email. Start a free trial on the preferred choice of real estate crm and marketing software and test your campaigns to see how they turn out. If you are still not sure if a marketing tool and crm is good for your real estate business, now is the time to start!

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